We’ve all seen corporate mission statements. Tesla’s is “to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy”. Google’s is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”.
Did you know that individuals can have mission statements too? This was a foreign concept to me until I went through my company’s leadership training program. Full disclosure- when this idea what first presented to us I thought it was a really dumb idea. I was wrong. It turned into a very rewarding, personally inspiring process for me and for my classmates. We spent a LOT of time working on figuring out exactly what makes us tick. Because they are so personal, we didn’t have to share what we came up with in front of the entire class. But most of us did. I did.
Mine is “I will make the world a better place”. Yes it is very short. But there is a lot behind it. It means that I will champion the causes that are near and dear to me including mental health issues, LGBTQ+ issues, and women’s health issues. It means I will donate to worthy charities. It means I will love and accept everyone as they are.
This is a lofty goal. I don’t always achieve it. Some days I don’t even come close. But I always have it in the back of my mind and it gives me something to work towards. I encourage all of you to consider going through this exercise too.